Could it Be Called A Haunting?
by Clanclaws
Summary: Paul Shinji is just a normal guy. He may be on the anti-social side with only four real friends, but it doesn't mean he was asking for a ghost girl to appear in his new apartment! Ghost!Dawn AU. Ikarishipping! DawnXPaul! Paul is honestly just a softy on the inside in this fanfiction tho, I mean, he rescues animals. Isn't that so cute? You know it is.
1. There's A Ghost in My House

Summary: Paul Shinji. A simple 20 year old guy. He isn't the most social, so honestly, he doesn't get out much. He's always hoped for a more exciting life, but never, _ever_, has he asked for a ghost girl and her dead cat to be walking around his newly bought apartment.

Author's Note: Okay I should probably be working on Truth, Dare, or Torture but I kinda want a break from the comedy sort of fanfiction and turn to the more "serious" side. Jk, this isn't going to be very serious 60% of the time. Mostly just filler chapters I think up in my head while doing something actually productive. Not gonna lie to you guys. Also, if I could have a Beta, that'd be great since I've never had one before!

Characters:

Misty Waterflower: She's a famous pro swimmer. Not much more to be said.

Ash Ketchum: Zoologist who is obsessed with any kind of rodent. He always has his pet mouse, Pikachu, at his side.

May Maple: She's a fashion model; She claims it's a habit even though she gets most of her money that way.

Drew Hayden: May's fashion designer and her best friend. They both live in the same house as "friends".

Paul Shinji: Surprisingly, he's an od jobs kind of character. He usually works with rescuing dogs, but sometimes does random jobs that pay on the side. Oh, and he has a pet husky named Gareki for the fuck of it.

Dawn Hikari: A ghost who is "haunting" Paul's new apartment. She also has a sort of spirit animal who follows her around names Mystic.

Quote of the chapter:

"There are some things you can't believe in until you see them with your own two eyes; whether it be something unlikely as the supernatural or the depressing of the death of a loved one." ~ Anonymous.

**CHAPTER 1**

_Seriously?_

_Can I even call those people my friends?_

"Sorry Paul! I have to train for this new swimming meet! This match is pretty important!" Misty said.

"I'm taking a new zoology class, sorry... Plus, do really trust me with your stuff?" Ash said. _And he makes a good point._

"I'm designing new clothes. My deadline is catching up to me, and I don't have time right now." Drew said.

"Drew is making me try on his new outfits. Trust me, I'd help you if I could." May said.

Yet here I am. Left to move in my myself. Sure, I could've asked for the movers to help me out, but I really wasn't in the mood to yell at idiots who put my shit in the wrong places or at different angles. Now that I think about it, I'd have to do that if my "friends" helped out, but it's a lot more tolerable if I know the people I'm cursing at.

I grabbed the underside of the cardboard box, lifting it up off the ground before caring it carefully up the stairs to his apartment. Oh yea... The other reason he didn't have the movers do this was because they probably be too lazy to even consider carrying his stuff carefully up the stairs. They'd probably drop half his stuff during the whole process.

Oh wait.

His "friends" would probably do that too.

I walked up the last steps and kicked open the door with my foot and placed the last box on the ground. I sat on it and hunched forward with a huff of irritation. _That was easier than I thought it'd be. All that's left is organizing everything. _I looked around at all the heavy objects littered around the house. _Fuck this. I'm sleeping on the floor today._ Gareki, my ashy gray husky with dark blue eye nudged his cold nose against my leg to get my attention. As I looked down to him, he started to shuffle and whine. I raised an eyebrow; Gareki almost never whines anymore.

"What's wrong with you today? You've been complaining ever since we stepped foot inside the apartment.", I mummered to him as I pulled out a futon to sleep on.

Gareki gave a bark in return before running in circles around an empty spot. I pinned the behavior as "dogs being dogs" and laying my futon on an empty space not too far off. "You need to calm down. You'll get used to this apartment soon.", I took a glance around, "Actually, this is pretty damn big for just us..."

It was a five room apartment. This biggest room, the room they were in now, was a relatively big living room if you're talking about apartments. Connected to the living room by a doorway of sorts was the kitchen, already filled with cooking supplies from what I'd suspect was left by the previous owner, whoever it may be. There was a small hallway that leads you to the remaining three rooms. Straight down at the end of said hallway was the bathroom with a shower, sink, toilet. You know. The necessities. On the right is the bedroom I plan on occupying, leaving the one on the left as a guest bedroom.

I plopped down on my futon and wrapped myself up in blankets in hope of going to sleep. That is, until Gareki started howling.

_HOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWL._

"Gareki, stop it."

_HOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWL._

"Gareki, shut up before someone calls the cops!"

_HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWW-_

I shove him out onto the balcony I now learned we had branching off from my future room. At least it had shut him up.

* * *

"Finally done."

I stepped back from the flatscreen Tv on the wall and nodded my head slightly, proud of myself. The Tv was nailed to the left wall, the two person black-leather couch a few feet away with a matching chair. A bookshelf next to a stand under the Tv held all the Dvds and Cds I brought along with me. Not much else was in the living room other than a few pictures, including a picture of me and my friends while in highschool, and a few shelves topped with keepsakes. The kitchen had stayed the same as when we moved; as I said before, it was already filled. I just added Gareki's food and water bowls along with filling up the fridge with the food I had gotten. My room had a queen-sized bed (_Why is an apartment this big so cheap?_) with Gareki's dog bed at the foot of it. I had a nightstand in the corner along with a desk and dresser; aka, as much as I could fit into the room (_And of course I stored a few things in the closet too)_. On my wall I put the pictures of the animals, mostly dogs, I have saved in my short rescue career. The guest room is a simple twin bed with a small nightside table and a dresser. Basically, the brightest room in the house.

My ears strained as I her scratching and barking coming from my room. _I should probably let Gareki in... I kind of feel bad._ I headed to my room and slide open the glass door to the balcony. I paused taking everything in.

Gareki was scratching at the balcony railing, making low growling sounds from the back of his throat. A Russian blue cat with... wings?... was floating above the railing and hissing and lashing out it's claws at the dog even though it couldn't reach because of the distance it kept between the two. And a few feet behind Gareki was a distressed bluenette. She was wearing what looked like a white summer dress that went a little down past her knees with matching white ballet flats. She had some of her hair pinned with three golden clips. She was waving frantically at the husky, blue eyes flaring in concern.

"H-heel! Leave Mystic alone! Can't you hear me?! Stop!", she cried.

I blinked, my mind still reeling with thoughts and questions. I wiped the slightly surprised look that had to be on my face before speaking.

"... Gareki won't listen to someone he doesn't like, especially to a cat-owner."

The girl spun around, eyes wide in shock. She hesitated when she locked eyes with me. Her eyes reminded me of Gareki's, with the same dark blue. But her's were different...

I was dragged out of my short thought break when she pointed to Gareki with a slightly angry face, "Can you please get your dog away from my cat?", I almost chuckled at the sight of her attempt at being assertive. Almost.

"Can you please tell me why your cat has _wings_?"

Her eyes widened in panic. "... W-well... I explain it once you make your dog back off...", her voice was quiet, almost a whisper. I brought up two fingers to my lips and let out a shrill whistle. Gareki's ears automatically perked up along with his body before running and sitting at my feet. I gave the girl a smug look and crossed my arms. A few moments passed between them. "So. Care to explain?"

The cat, apparently named Mystic, jumped into the girl's welcoming arms. She looked at her feet, petting the cat slowly. "You have to believe me, okay?"

"Okay.", I threw out carelessly.

"No.", I was going to tell her to spit it out before she looked into my eyes. Her eyes pierced into mine with seriousness I didn't expect, "I said you have to believe anything I say, no matter how crazy or how stupid it may seem. _Okay?_", she pushed.

I dropped my arms to my side and gave a serious nod. "I promise..."

She gave me a small smile, "I'm a ghost."

* * *

Author's Note:

Well. That was a longer first chapter than I thought it'd be. The next chapter will be out when I finish it or when I decide it's time. Depends. Review and tell me what I need to improve on, and since I thought of this idea on a whim, I may take ideas on the plotline of the story and where it may be going next. Thanks for reading, and I hope it isn't toooo bad...

~~Clanclaws~~


	2. Paul Doesn't Believe Shit

Author's Note: Wow, I didn't expect people to actually start reading. I thought this would be a story that would forever stay in the very corner of Fanfiction, way from peeping eyes. But since people are starting to read and review, I as well start with Chapie 2. And... what else...? Oh yea. It's like 4:00am right now and this chapter is probably going to jump around a lot since I'm basically high off sleep-deprivation soooooooo

Quote of the chapter:

"Faith is about believing in something and knowing in your heart that it is true, even when your mind can't find the answers." ~ Nishan Panwar

**Chapter 2**

"I'm a ghost."

A million thoughts went running through my head at the moment, but the most prominent one spilled from my mouth, "Ghosts don't exist."

The girl took a few steps towards me, her eyes still full with emotion. "You _promised_! Please, you have to believe me!", she begged. I gave her a questioning look up and down. Now that I know that she's a "ghost" It's a lot easier to see the slight transparency of her along with the low glow around her. I narrowed my eyes.

"Prove it.", I said a little more aggressively then I meant. She blinked twice, a little reeled back at my snappy response. "Well... Okay."

Her feet slowly started to part from the ground as she hovered for a few seconds before falling abruptly to the ground.

A few moments passed.

I turn around on the ball of my feet, opening the glass door, "Bye." Gareki got to his feet

"E-eh!?", She ran- or was she floating?- after me. "W-wait! You believe me right?", she asked franticly. I Walked through the glass door and out of my room with both Gareki and Ghost-girl following me. "Of course I don't", I snapped back at her. "You promised!" I swear, she was on the brink of crying.

"It's all a dream. No one carries promises through in dreams."

"It's not a dream! When you wake up tomorrow, I'll prove it!"

I barely gave her a glance and waved my hand at her as I stepped into the livingroom. "Sure, if it makes your day. Now I have work to do, okay?" I head towards the door but Ghost-girl throws her body in front of me, cutting me off. She's more troublesome than she's worth. Her distress was replaced with nothing but pure curiosity, "You work? You look more like a drug dealer so I thought..."

I look down at my clothes. I was still wearing my black sweat pants from when I went to bed, and I had on a black hoodie for when I was moving everything into their places in the house. I look back up at the girl and glared. "I don't look like a drug dealer.", I growled.

She put on a thoughtful expression and looked me over multiple times before finally focusing on something with my face. "I think its the piercing." (A/N I gave him a piercing, shut up.) That's it. I stalked around her to my shoes and reach to pick them up. I froze and looked twice.

Her cat.

Was on.

My fucking shoes.

It let out a lazy yawn before curling up into a tighter bundle. I swear that damned cat was on the porch when I closed the door.

My face must of gave away my plotting of killing the cat because the girl automatically flew to a protective position over the small feline. "Don't hurt Mystic! She didn't do anything!"

"She's sleeping on my fucking shoes!", I snapped.

"She loves shoes though! She always slept on them when I was alive...!"

"Stop talking like your _dead_!". My voice was was growing louder than what I meant it to but I ignored it at the moment. "Whatever.", I bend down and attempt to push the ball of fur off my shoes, only to have my hand fly through it and shivers crawl across my skin. I was sure I could see my own breath at that point. I drew my hand away as quickly as I could. "N-nevermind", I mentally cursed at myself for stuttering, "_You_ get your cat off my shoes."

She gave me an exasperated looked before picking up her cat and pulling her in towards her chest. The creature looked up in confusion before snuggling in, promptly falling back into it's dreams of fish, cream, ruining my goddamn shoes, or what ever the fuck cats dream of.

I think it was the last one.

I quickly pulled on my shoes and grabbed my black and purple over the shoulder bag. Gareki trotted up to me and I put on his dark blue collar. "Alright. Let's g-"

"Doesn't she need a leash?"

I turn slowly towards the voice. "_He_ doesn't need one."

"What if he runs away?"

"He won't."

"What if he attacks someone?"

"He won't."

"What if-"

"What if you shut your face so I can leave, Troublesome."

She gave me an angry look, "My name is Dawn, not Troublesome." I gave her an over the shoulder look as I closed the door, "I couldn't care any less if I tried." With that I closed the door, leaving a dejected girl and a sleeping cat.

(Drew's POV)

I glanced at my watch. 12:43. Maybe Paul isn't as mad as he sounded when I didn't help him out yesterday. I gave a thoughtful shrug to myself. Might as well take April to make sure I don't get killed along.

I uncrossed my legs on the couch and threw my head onto the back of it, "MAAAAAAAAY! WE'RE VISITING PAUL, OKAY?"

"Do you want to get killed?! At least wait another few days until your demise because I'm pretty sure the outfits you designed were top notch."

We shared the money from my job for two reasons. One, she was the model and when I send picture of the prototypes, it's of her in them. Two, because I'm pretty sure May would just steal my credit card and use up half my money anyways so let's just save her the effort.

She came walking down in a simple red T-shirt and black shorts. She looked over to me, "Hello? Are we going or are you going to lay there with your bed-head?"

BED. HEAD.

I scream and ran to the bathroom to perfect my hair. When I look in the mirror with a hand full of jell, I was met with a reflection of pure perfection, if you ask me. I narrowed my eyes when I heard a suspicious noise from the other room.

It sounded like... laughter.

That bitch.

* * *

"Don't ever do that again!", I rant as I walked up the last flight of stairs. May was still clutching her stomach, laughing as if it was the funniest thing she'd ever done. "Y-you should of s-seen the look-!", she tried in between gasps of her breath but gave up and gave more fits of laughter. I let out a growl of frustration.

We reached the level where Paul said he lived on and went up to the lone door before giving it a knock. We heard loud shuffling on the other side that sounding vaguely like furniture being moved around franticly.

"You don't think Paul would hit us with a chair... Would he...?", May asked. I gulped at the thought. "It's very possible."

"We're going to die today, aren't we?"

I let out a sigh and grab the handle to the door before squeezing my eyes shut. May brought her hand to my other arm attempting to pull me away from the door, "He'll be even more pissed if we just barge in! We are already dead but don't make it an extremely bloody one!" I lowered my head and shadows fell over my face, voice becoming overly dramatic and I couldn't tell if I was joking or being serious buy my mind was leaning towards the latter, "No... I'm tired of running away... I must face it like a man..."

I whip open the door as hard and fast as I could, my voice rising up in volume, "LIKE A MAAAAAAAAAN."

We come face to face with a blue haired girl levitating in the air along with a floating couch and a cat with wings lazily watching from afar.

.

.

.

The couch lands with a bang in the place I suppose it was supposed to go. "Hi?", the girl tried for a response. She got none other than more silence and even more staring. "I'm Dawn?"

"G-g-g-g-g-", May was vibrating and muttering the beginning of the word I knew was running through my head too. Yet, only I was the one who was in enough right of mind to yell it.

"GHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSST!"

May then started to promptly scream after me.

Then 'Dawn' started screaming at a higher volume.

And then I start screaming.

And I was kind of out of it but I was pretty sure even the goddamn cat in the corner was screaming too. Who knows, I was feeling really lightheaded.

The screaming continues for about ten minutes until I remembered that breathing was essential to live. We all stopped and gasped for air, even the ghost.

More silence.

"Are you a ghost?", May asks shyly. Dawn nodded her head slowly. "Please don't scream anymore... That scared me...". I look her over to see she's in a white dress and that she also had golden clips in her hair. It wasn't a bad look, and as a fashion model, am completely ready to steal the look for a raise.

"Are you going to haunt us or some shit...?", I mutter more to myself but I knew she heard. She shook her head faster than humanly possible with a look of horror on her face, "I'd never! I don't even know how a ghost works yet...", she looked at us with a slight smile, "Are you guys friends of Paul's?"

"Wait, so Paul knows about you?"

Dawn looked to at her feet and slowly fell from the air and to the ground before fidgeting with her dress, "Well... Yes and no... He doesn't believe me! He thinks it's just a dream!". She looked up to us and hope and flew over to us in such a rush it made our clothes and hair flutter slightly. "Wait! Can you guys stay until he gets back and convince him?! I have to stay in the apartment so he needs to get used to me or he has to move out."

"You can't leave this apartment?"

A wave of uncertainly washed over her face and she opens her mouth to answer but me and May cut in, mocking her voice, "-Well, yes and no."

Her face contorted into slight anger and embarrassment, "I don't sound like that! But yes.", she put her small hand to her chest and closes her eye, "When I leave the apartment, it kinda feels like a force is pulling me back from my heart... or something.", her eyes flew open, "It's hard to explain unless you feel it."

I gave a shrug and strode over to the couch with as much dignity as I could muster up in this situation and sat down, throwing a leg over the other. Dawn tipped her head in confusion when she pulled out his phone and starting dialing a number. "What are you doing?"

"Calling over Misty and Ash. We're waiting 'til Paul gets home and we're all going to have a niiice looong chat about this little", a pause as I looked Dawn over and thinking of a word with a hum, "... Predicament."

* * *

Author's Note: OH MY GOD I DIDN'T KNOW I WOULD FINISH IT TODAY SINCE I HAVE LIKE TWO PROJECTS TO DO AND I AM BEHIND ON BOTH AND I AM HIGH ON LIKE SIX REDBULLS AND I THINK IM GOING TO HAVE A HEART ATTACK THIS NIGHT, SWEET JESUS. I LOVE YOU ALL AND PLEASE REVIEW, FOLLOW, FAVORITE, I DON'T CARE I JUST WANT SCHOOL TO BE OVER, LIKE WHY DO WE EVEN HAVE THESE LAST TWO WEEKS I MEAN ITS NOT LIKE WE'RE ACTUALLY GOING TO GET SHIT DONE IN THEM.

~~From a sleep-deprived Clanclaws~~


	3. To Stab a Friend in The Front?

Author's Note: AHAHAHAHA WHY AM I DOING THIS I HAVE END OF THE YEAR SHIT TO DO AND SHIT TO PRACTICE. Oh well since I already started it I might as fucking well. *Sigh*

Quote:

"True friends stab you in the front." ~Oscar Wilde

**Chapter 3**

I open the door to my house and see exactly what I didn't want to see and worse.

Ash is digging through my fridge, stuffing all the junk food he can find into his mouth. Misty is sitting on the couch making idle chat with Drew, giving Ash a few angry glances. May is clapping her hands and cheering on Ghost Gi- Troubleso- Dawn to keep juggling several of the small souvenirs in the air which she gladly did with a huge smile. They all glances over to me once they had realized the door was open with Gareki and I standing in the doorway.

"Hey Pa-!"

I slam the door.

I take a deep breath, walk a few steps away form the door and u-turned back before opening the door, hoping that the result would change.

It didn't.

I rubbed my fingers against my temples and closed my eyes in a huff of annoyance, "Why is there a fucking circus act in my house...", I turn towards Misty and pointed angrily at Ash, who now looked incredibly guilty, "And please tell your problem child that my house is not a damn restaurant!"

The red head gave a lazy shrug and Ash hung his head in utter shame. I then pointed to Drew. "Don't you have some shitty designing to do? My house is as much as a lounge as it is a restaurant.", May was next to be thrown under the bus, "And you! Don't encourage the ghosts to stay!".

Dawn was last.

"Lastly you! Why aren't you gone yet!"

She put down the items and floated over to Paul and looked at him sadly, "Well, you left before I could tell you I _can't_.", her eyes lit up, "So, do you still think it's still a dream?!"

"Get out of my house", I deadpanned.

Ash, who dropped all of the food onto the floor ('That little bitch is picking it all up himself.') and ran over and tugged on my shirt, "It's not a dream unless we're all dreaming the same dream! I know for a fact I'm awake! All I ever dream of it food, so it couldn't be a dream anyways!". I stare at him with a scowl on my face and no response.

May raised her hand. "Dawn is going to explain, we just wanted to wait 'til you got home."

I looked back to Dawn and realized my mistake. Her face was contorted into a pout, and I couldn't tell if she made her eyes wide and pleading on purpose but I groaned at my weakness. "Fine.", I crossed my arms, "Explain. We're all here, so might as well." The moment Dawn's face lit it up I felt a small swell in my chest but I pushed it aside with a small growl.

Dawn flew over to the fridge and grabbed Mystic from the top which I obviously would of been pissed about if I had saw it. "Well... When I was a little kid, I lived in this apartment. I lived with my mom, and my dad was always out doing business so it was just the two of us and Mystic.", she looked to the ceiling thoughtfully, "I think I was eleven with Mystic died. I was really sad since I've had her my whole life.", she smiled shyly at the and put Mystic on the ground who shot away from the dog who let out a small bark at it.

"When I was eighteen, my mom trusted me enough to move out and let me live with my best friend Zoey. And so, Zoey moved in. It was really peaceful for a while, and there isn't much to tell until I hit age twenty." Her eyes darkened considerably and she paused to stare at seemingly nothing.

May touched her shoulder in a friendly gesture and gave a small nod, "What happened next?"

"My mom died. It was a murder", we could all tell she choked back a sob, "My dad called me and said people were targeting those closest to him", tears streamed down her face and her voice wavered, "I was so scared! Zoey would try to comfort me, and would sleep in my room with me to keep me safe. I just never thought..."

We all gave her a look to continue.

"I had a friend. His name was Kenny. I... had a really big crush on him. And him and Zoey were the only people I ever trusted. I let him sleep over with me and Zoey, since we hadn't talked in a such a long time together and he offered. I think it was around one in the morning when I would up to a really weird sound. I sat up and looked around and I saw it. Kenny was stabbing Zoey in the chest and there was so much blood... I screamed. He looked over to me with a sad smile that, but I saw it in his eyes; he didn't mean it."

"He let Zoey go, and she fell limp to the floor before stepping over her bodya nd walking towards me. I was terrified. When he reached me, he held be down on my bed by my neck and I felt my air get cut off. Then I felt pain, and he was stabbing my in the stomach, I think. I could hear him laugh at my pain and I cried and I cried and he stabbed me a lot and I felt darkness zoom in and I was really sleepy... I blinked."

I was floating over the bedroom and I saw Kenny stabbing me. I tried my best not to scream and ran out of the room. The rest of that night was really blurry. The police and ambulance came and took our bodies along with arresting Kenny. That's really it... I tried to leave the apartment a few times during then, but I always felt something almost pulling me back, so I never tried more than twice." Her tears stopped and she looked over us, "It's weird. You guys could see me, but no one else could.", eyes dug into mine with a heated intensity. "I saw you and the landlord looking at this apartment. You guys couldn't see me. I was hoping that you'd keep me company but... ", shadows fell over her face as she bent her head down, " You didn't believe me this morning."

Silence.

I digested everything she as told me. I know in a way what it's like to be lonely, but I knew what she was talking was a different type of lonely. I had Reggie back then, and even though I hate to admit it, I even liked talking to the weirdo friends I have. This kind of lonely was one that only she could understand. I gave yet another frustrated sigh. "That explains why the place was so fucking cheap."

"So you believe me?!"

"Hn.", I dropped my bag on the kitchen counter and turned to look at the gathering in the living room, "Now get the fuck out of my house before I decide to run you over with my car for not helping move in"

Realization slowly caught crawling into my system, heating my face with anger as I pointed accusingly at the ghost still floating in the spot she was before, "You could of helped me move in but you were to busy playing with my goddamned dog!"

"You dog was trying to maul my cat!"

"If I couldn't lift it off my shoes than Gareki couldn't of snapped it's neck!", I ran my fingers through my hair in frustration, "That and it's already dead!"

Out of the corner of my eyes I saw all of my "guests" attempting to sneak out of the house. My voice turned into the more threatening thing I could muster up, which worked since they froze in the spot almost at once, "You think you can get off that easily, huh?"

I shoved cleaning products into their hands except for Ash, who looked like he was on cloud nine. Drew le out a puff, "How come Ash doesn't have to clean...!"

"Because," I shoved a list into his hands and spun him around towards the door. I grabbed Gareki's leash and tied it impossibly tight around his wrist, "Your buying me new food. If you try to escape, Gareki with drag you himself."

Dawn's face was a combination of impression and horror. "How long did you spend training him..?"

"Did? I still do. Everyday."

Ash looked over the long list and his face paled, "D-d-do you have the money for th-this...?"

I gave him a deadpan look, "Your buying it all."

He fainted.

* * *

Author's Note: (PUN WITH THE QUOTE WAS INDEED INTENDED~!) SCREW PROOFREADING BECAUSE AIN'T NOBODY GOT TIME FOR THAT ESPECIALLY SINCE I SHOULD BE DOING THE THREE- NO FOUR PROJECTS NOW. OH GOD I HAVE AN ESSAY DUE I FORGOT ABOUT THAT OH NO HELP ME. Also I love you all, hugs, kisses, all that shit and I'm going to go because I've been up since 3 in the morning and I need help.

~~Clanclaws~~


	4. Chains Are What Bind My Soul

Author's Note: Sorry it took so long to write this chapter. School has finally ended and I am free all day so whoopee! Wait... I counsel at camp... Fuck all this shit. Hope you like this chapter, It may be a bit short though.

Quote:

_"Nothing can suppress a human's curiosity." ~Eren Jeager_

**Chapter 4**

Dawn's POV

It's been a week since Paul has moved in, and since he actually started believing I wasn't just a figment of imagination. Not much about the way he acts has changed. His days are pretty routine;

Get up.

Shower.

Leave with Gareki for work.

Come back.

Read for hours.

Cook.

Eat.

Sleep.

Repeat.

I don't get to know much about him unless I talk to him while he's reading. At first, he would ignore me when I tried to interrupt his quiet reading with nothing but a mutter of 'Troublesome' under his breath. After a day or two, he would answer a few questions that I'd ask, very simple ones.

_"Hey Paul, why don't you live with anyone?"_

_"Because I'm an anti-social bastard."_

_"That's very blunt."_

_"You expected something else? If I thought you were stupid before..."_

He pisses me a off more than he should. No one else has ever even gotten close to making me as mad as he could. Yet, I can't help but like his company. I just pin it as not having company for a few months, yet it feels more than that. I push it aside in frustration.

I think it was on day six when it happened...

* * *

"Aww, why can't you guys hang out here...? I'm sure the apartment will fit you all."

"And lose all my food? No thanks."

I gave a pout as Paul made his way towards the door, Gareki trailing behind him head high. I wanted to see Misty, May, Ash, and Drew again, but they were meeting at Drew's house since he was apparently loaded with money and had a mansion. It makes me feel depressed that I won't be able to see them unless they come to Paul's.

"But... I really want to see them", it came out more as a whine then I'd meant it to be, And if I learned anything from Paul this past week it's that he hated when I whined.

He stopped in his tracks and gave me a heated stare, "Then come with me. It's not that hard."

Fear ran up my spine at the memory of stepping outside the building, "I can't! I already told you that!". I got a smug look, or as smug as Paul can look, in return and a puff of breath, "You said technically you can't.". "Well, yes and no. I can't explain it. It's complicated."

"I'm sure you can try."

An idea popped into my head. But...

"I'm not sure this will work but you need to stay still, okay?"

"I'm a big boy. I can handle that.", he gave a small snort and stiffened his posture.

I reached out my hand and focused as hard I could. It wasn't something I practiced regularly, not have I found any use to it. I hoped that it would simulate what I felt and that it didn't send him to the hospital. I hesitated for a second on the thought before pushing it to the back on my head.

It worked.

My hand grew transparent and I slowly stuck it throw Paul's body. I felt shivers run through all his body and heard him let out a breath in discomfort. I couldn't feel his insides, to my pleasure, or I probably would have passed out.

Can ghosts even pass out?

No Dawn; now is not the time to wonder these things.

I feel a presence. It isn't very big, but big enough to be held in my palm. A strange feeling went up my arm and I slowly wrapped my hand around the feeling; It was his soul. I gave a light tug and I heard Paul let out a cough in displeasure and I automatically let go.

I pull away as fast as I could and drifted back a couple feet to give him his space. He bent over and grabbed the collar of his shirt while having a minor coughing fit. Guilt overwhelmed me.

"I'm so so so sorry! I just wanted to show-"

"It's okay...", me mummured. It was so quiet I wasn't even sure he said anything. "... Is that what you feel when you walk out of the house?"

I gave a weak nod.

We shared uneasy silence as he seemed to stare directly into my eyes. I searched for any change in posture and found none. A small click rolled off his tongue before muttering a, "Stay there and don't fucking move.", before stepping outside. Even though his voice was anything but threatening, I hovered in the same spot.

He came back in a few minutes later.

"You're going outside.", he stated. His voice showed he didn't want anything else to be said about it, but there was no way I could let that slide.

"I _can't_ go outside! I just showed you why and you still don't trust me? I thoug-"

Narrowed eyes filled with heated dug clashed with cool midnight. I've never seen anyone look so determined, "Did I say I didn't trust you? Did I fucking stutter when I said you're going outside? _Did I_?"

"N-no..."

"Then sit your ass on that couch; The others are coming over to help with you're shitty supernatural problems."

"Ghosts can sit on things...?"

His face softened to my relief and was transformed into one of confusion, "That sounds more like a question than a statement.", he jerked his head towards the couch, "Go try it out."

I drifted towards the couch. I gave it a nervous stare before looking back at Paul. He met me exasperated gaze. I took a small breath, turned around and sat.

I fell right through it with only my head showing through.

It was weird, the sound of _Paul laughing_. It was surprisingly light hearted, despite his deeper voice and strict personality. My jaw fell slack when I saw him bring the back of his hand to his mouth to hide the smile that was obviously on his face. When he caught me staring, he stopped and gave me a halfhearted wave and a soft glare, "Stop staring like that. It makes you look dumber than you already look."

And that was when I chucked a lamp at him.

Let's just say I've never been in such a heated argument in a long while. And not just because I was dead for a few months.

* * *

~**Some Time Later**~

Ash bursts into the room frantically running in all while managing to trip over Gareki, landing on his face like a limp doll. Misty shook her head in shame and stepped over him, May and Drew following her lead.

"So, how are we even going to start to help Ms. Supernatural through these doors." Drew getting right to the point as usual. I sweatdropped as Paul rubbed his temples in annoyance. "If I knew I wouldn't of called you idiots.", he gave me a glance, "It probably won't be easy, but it's possible."

May looked at me and held up both of her hands, "On a scale of one to ten, how uncomfortable is it to step outside?"

I never really thought about it.

Last time I'd stepped out was when I was trying a few days after my first failure. It doesn't hurt physically- If ghosts could be hurt physically- just mentally. When I was alive, I was never really strong mentally so that may have to do with it. It may even have to do with confidence. If that was the case, it was going to be harder than it'd make out to be. I decided to focus just on the question May gave to me.

"If I could rate it I would say a seven. Not unbareable but-"

Misty clapped her hands and nodded her head in fake understanding. I doubt she was planning on listening to the second half of the sentence. "Good, good. Not unbareable. That means that you were just being a wuss and all we have to do is convince you that you can handle it."

I gave her an unconvinced look as she grabbed my wrist and slowly lead me closer to the door. "So, let's get started~! First-", she motioned to the door in front of me after kicking Ash away from the doorway, "Let's try taking a step outside, yes?".

My mind automatically thought back on the time I first tried this, and my hands unconsciously clasped together over my chest in protection. "I could try...?"

"Good, because if you wouldn't I'm not entirely sure we can drag you out", Drew muttered more to himself than anyone. I stopped hovering and placed two feet on the ground. I looked out past the door frame to see the plain white walls of the apartment hallways. I took a small breath and took a step outside before I could retreat in fear.

Waves of an unknown emotion hit me hard, almost as if I was standing out in a hurricane. I closed my eyes shut and whimpered, and I felt myself shaking hard and large tear drops rolling down my cheeks. My hands reached up and grabbed at the spot where the waves hit hardest; My heart. I fell to my knees.

I heard the sounds of the five people behind me asking if I was alright or if I should come inside.

I was ready to bolt back inside when the waves started to dim down. It was just slightly, but slowly and surely the feeling was diminishing until it was just a ache that could easily be over looked if I hadn't have just feel the pressure only a few moments before.

Finally, the words spoken by the people around me actually sounded like sentences to me as I was dragged out of my little world.

"-lright? Dawn?!"

"I'm fine...", my voice was hoarse, almost like I was yelling for too long but I brushed it off.

"So you can walk outside, right?!", Ash asked excitedly. He practically vibrated where he stood in excitement. I let out a smile and gave a nod. If the "Pressure", what I'm going to call it, doesn't get worse, then I figure I can leave the house. I could feel my heart (If I still had one) swell up in joy at the thought of going outside; It's been so long.

"Great, now we can go and look at all the animals I'm collecting! Do you want to me Pikachu?!"

I tilted my head in confusion before I felt some sort of creature jump on my shoulder. I glance over and see its a small blonde mouse with a few black stripes on his back and black tipped ears. A smile spread wide across my face at the tiny rodent.

"Aww, he's so cute-"

Mystic, who just now came out of the apartment, (She never had trouble leaving the apartment for some unknown reason), sprung after Pikachu with a sharp hiss. Ash automatically started screaming and chasing Mystic away from his pet in horror. Drew and May also helped in the chase while I ran from Mystic holding Pikachu in my arms; Running away progressively became harder once Mystic remembered she has wings.

All the while, Paul and Misty stood to the side taking in the whole scene.

"Our friends are such idiots", Paul grunted.

"Yes, but they're our idiots."

* * *

_Author's Notes: _I'm going on a cruise, so I was trying to at least update a chapter before I left. Sorry it took so long, I got occupied with very busy and hard things, including camp that is ending TODAY! Whoo! I'm also going to a One Direction concert, even if I don't like it that much. It's going to be my first concert, so wish me luck that I won't be trampled by hardcore fangirls. Bye!


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